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GamerGod Writes on Instancing in Dungeons & Dragons Online

Discussion in 'Game/SP News & Comments' started by chevalier, Dec 29, 2005.

  1. chevalier

    chevalier Knight of Everfull Chalice ★ SPS Account Holder Veteran

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    GamerGod has decided to take a look on the motives behind Turbine's choice to use instancing in Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach. One of the explanations is enhancing the role of the rogue class. Here's a snip:

    As for immersion, the argument for D&DO could easily be summed up in three words: suspension of disbelief. We, as gamers, complain that load times for missions and zones detract from our immersion, but has the gaming community so quickly forgotten what the "traditional" MMO format has made us compromise in order to feel immersed in their world? You fight your way through a dungeon, only to arrive at the end encounter and discover that another group is there, camping the boss. Is this immersive? You fight a large mob and take a moment to rest, regain hit points and manna, and while waiting the mob appears out of thin air on top of you. Is this immersive? You have completed numerous quests to finally find a secret cave system leading to the land of X, and as you approach it, you see another adventurer standing at the entrance, broadcasting the lyrics to his favorite pop song. You step around two others having a dance-off and saying in public chat, "You got served!" Ultimately you find yourself exploring this "secret" cave with a crowd of other players running back and forth around you. It makes you wonder why that long string of contacts made you jump through so many hoops to find this "secret" location that doesn't appear to be secret at all. Is this immersive?

    You won't have to deal with any of these things in D&DO because of the instancing format. When you go into a dungeon, it will be your dungeon. There will be no griefers, no campers, and no kill-stealers, just you, your party, and the monsters you came there to fight. The only places you'll have direct dealings with players not in your group are in the city zones and the taverns where dancing halflings aren't really all that far-fetched. Is THIS immersive?

    Well, I have to say I've had enough of griefers in multiplayer games and I appreciate the notion itself, even if it doesn't lead to good results, which doesn't mean I think it will in this case. And I'm all in favour of enhancing the role of the rogue class, so long as it doesn't mean fooling around and moulding the rules. Death to griefers, anyway.

    Read the whole thing at GamerGod.
     
    chevalier, Dec 29, 2005
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